Athens in the Rain

Thursday October 2 was our first rain of the trip.  Ironically, we had no rain in Helsinki but a pour-down day in Athens. About 20-40 mm predicted.  We decided to go to the National Archeological Museum which is only a five minute walk from the apartment.  Unfortunately, there was a very long line and the rain had taken a turn for the worse as we got there.  We went back to the apartment, booked two tickets to the Museum for late morning Friday.

First, some pictures of our very spacious and well-lit apartment.  Antonis, our host, and filmmaker used to live here until he got married and had twins.  He lives nearby and loves the neighbourhood.  He told us that his apartment had been used as a set for a number of Greek films.

Entrance hallway and a small kitchen table

Well equipped kitchen

Very large living room with desk and bookcase in another corner

Bookcase and desk in one corner of the living room.  Perfect for doing the blog.

Large bathroom with a washing machine and a bathtub (very rare in Europe)

Separate large bedroom

Balcony with some chairs and a small table

There was also a terrific view looking north at a number of the mountains surrounding Athens.  We also look down at the neoclassical traditional campus of the National Technical University of Athens (sometimes known as Athens Polytechnic).  The University was founded in 1837 and moved to its present location in 1873.  The buildings were designed by architect Lysandros Kaftantzoglou (1811-1885).

Beautiful neoclassical buildings of the University as seen from our balcony

Outside of the entrance to our building- we are staying in an apartment on another side 

We headed to the National Archaeological Museum at around 1:00 p.m.  It had been drizzling since about 10:00 a.m.   We never expected such a long line and while we were waiting, it started to pour.  We were getting soaked and decided to regroup back in the apartment which is luckily close by.

Line outside the National Archaeological Museum when it started to really pour.

We hung out at the apartment.  We were still tired from our Wednesday adventure and late night.  At about 3:00 p.m. the rain stopped and we decided to go for a bite to eat at Stani.  It is one of the last traditional dairy-products patisserie in Athens, founded in 1931. It was just about a seven minute walk from our apartment.  We had gone there on our 2017 Culinary Backstreets food tour.  It had been our first stop where we had their amazing sheep yoghurt with honey and walnuts.  It made a great impression back then, and we had wanted to go back last May, but it was a bit out of the way from where we were staying.  This trip, we were very close and decided to visit.  Their menu has sheep, goat and cow yoghurts, some of the best homemade yoghurt in the city.

Outside of Stani-- founded in 1931

We shared a delicious feta cheese pie and a large sheep yoghurt portion with delicious honey (Greek honey is among the best) and walnuts.

We sat outside and had a nice chat with our server- both the cheese pie and the yoghurt were an A+

We stopped at one of the largest bakeries in Europe created by the Greek company Venetis in the historic NEON building in Omonia Square. It is called Veneti Bakery 1948 and offers an incredible range of breads and pastries from different regions of Greece and Europe.  The NEON café first opened its doors in 1920 and was for decades one of the most important meeting points for artists and intellectuals.  After some years out of business, it was renovated by Venetis in 2013.

Lots of choice and a beautifully restored café on the second floor 

Lots and lots of Greek cookies

We will definitely stop by on Saturday morning before we take the Metro to the port.

It was then time for a late afternoon coffee at the White Turtle which is located in the bottom of our apartment building.  It has a lovely outdoor seating area and two windows where one orders and picks up the drinks.  

Allan ordering the coffees

Coffee machine and pick up section

We went back to the apartment and rested until about 6:50 p.m. when we headed out to dinner.

More graffiti en route

We passed a large mural entitled: Justice for Zak/Zackie.  It refers to ongoing activism seeking accountability for the 2018 death of Zak Kostopoulos, an HIV-positive, queer and human rights activist in Athens.  He was killed on a busy street near Omonia Square in broad daylight.  He was first beaten by civilians and later by the police.  He died on the way to the hospital.  Two civilians were found guilty of his murder in May 2022, but the four police officers who had also beat him were acquitted.

Justice for Zak/Zackie

We went to dinner at Rozalia, both recommended by Antonis and a number of travel writers.  It is a traditional Greek taverna with large portions of homemade food- excellent quality and reasonable prices.  It is located on a pedestrian street.  It has a large outdoor section with lots of plants and trees and an equally large indoor section with trees and a large skylight.  We ate indoors, as it was a bit chilly.  Rozalia has been open since 1978 and the owner planted the trees in 1980, aiming to create a small oasis in the middle of concrete-clad Exarchia.  The kitchen serves up classics with a "no preservatives mentality" and has been sourcing meat from nearby free-grazing farms and fresh fish from local fishermen from the start.

We shared a Dakos salad with delicious tomatoes, feta cheese, and capers on a large rusk

Allan had grilled sea bream with grilled vegetables

I had delicious lamb ribs (lots of oregano) and fries.  

We had two glasses of house red wine.  The portions were very generous and the food was excellent.  At the end of the meal, they gave us two complimentary frozen ice cream pops. 

At the end of our meal

On our way back to the apartment, we passed the ongoing construction in Exarchia square of a Metro station, part of a larger Line 4 expansion.  Construction of this station began in August 2022.  It has faced strong opposition from local groups concerned about the impact on the neighbourhood's culture and character.  The area around the square is heavily policed.  Antonis had pointed this construction out on our walk and had said that the community had already been to court to reduce the area where the hoardings had been set up.

"Not Welcome"

Great backpack

Almost every building in Exarchia is covered in graffiti.

Very near our apartment.

It turned out to be an interesting day, in spite of the rain, which fortunately stopped by 3:00 p.m.  Lots of good food and relaxation.  We are looking forward to our visit to the National Archaeological Museum on Friday.